Corvette shopping...

[littlemissmartypants]

1987 CHEVROLET CORVETTE
$9,900
5.7L 8-Cylinder Gas Engine





Thoughts?

[True Dough]

1. All depends on your budget

35-year-old car. 108,000 miles on the odometer, which isn't that bad for that age.

But chances are you're going to have to find a lot of replacement parts. The internet makes sourcing those easier, but it still won't be cheap to maintain. Just depends on how much enjoyment you'd derive from getting behind the wheel and how often you'd do it.

[littlemissmartypants]

4. Well...

I just checked the insurance and it's 200+/month.

I don't drive much. I'm shopping for my last ride. To take my last dog cruising in.

I appreciate the input. The parts thing did cross my mind. I imagine finding a mechanic might be an issue.

❤️

[dem4decades]

6. There's a guy near me that drives around in a Mercedes convertible with his giant Golden's head leaning out the window.

They go all over town.

[littlemissmartypants]

9. I did see a 2016 BMW i3 Base...

Former fleet vehicle that looked interesting, too.

A Cadillac or a Mercedes would work!

You clearly understand what I'm shooting for.

❤️

[dem4decades]

22. I took a photo of the dog in the car but I can't find it. Too bad, it was fun to see, in fact it's always fun to see.

We have a 2003 Mitsubishi Spyder that I'm afraid is done but we used to drive it around with the top down with my sons Lab in the back. He was a skittish fellow but he seemed to like being in the back seat with the top down. We laughed afterwards, seemed he was peeing back there on the blanket we had put down. He might have been a little afraid, he usually was.

We still have a 14-year-old golden that loves to go for rides, he's difficult to get in and more difficult to get out but if the car is parked in front of the house, he knows it's ride time and can't wait to get in.

[littlemissmartypants]

25. The Spyder is a cool car. ...

I can imagine that ride! I hope that the seat was vinyl. Poor dear.

Hug that 14 yo hard for me. I lived with a huge St. Bernard as a child. The hip dysplasia the St. Bernard developed was sad to see. It took two people to get him in the car towards the end.

My 16 yo Chi Chi and 15 yo Butterbean both passed away within five days of each other in December.

So, hug him real hard, give him all the treats and take him on all the rides. Nollie sends kisses.

If you find that picture, please share it.

❤️

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Not to put too fine a point on it

but mechanics are like doctors. general and specialists, or at least experienced in an era. Half of today's mechanics were kids or not born yet when that car was produced. But, there's more information available today thanks to the internet. there are collectors clubs who know the models and give a lot of free help.

That's a cool car, btw.

[littlemissmartypants]

10. Thanks, bf. ...

It is a sweet ride.

❤️

[True Dough]

8. Not sure how many mechanics are around your area

but it would be a pretty straightforward vehicle to work on compared to today's sensor-laden computerized vehicles.

I imagine you and Nollie would be cool as cucumbers cruising around in that Vette though (presuming the air conditioning still works).

[littlemissmartypants]

12. 🌞 👍

AC recently serviced so it says. Clean carfax. Three owners. One upstate NY, two PA.

❤️

[Auggie]

24. Have you checked the frame for signs of decay or rust?

Wouldn't after-market parts be plentiful? A lot of Corvettes of this model were produced from 1984 thru 1990. And it's a vehicle of special interest.

[littlemissmartypants]

14. Forgot to say that there's a Chevy dealership 10 miles away. 🏁

❤️

[OneBlueDotS-Carolina]

21. Try Haggerty....

We insure our 1992 Japanese classic thru them, only problems would be you have to have a daily driver, car must have a garage to live in, you're restricted to driving under 1000 miles a year, thing is full coverage with roadside assistance & an excellent magazine costs us $180 a year. We were paying over $1K a year, large insurance company claimed it was due to the weird windows. We're both in our early 70s, with excellent driving records & credit scores. Large insurance company kept coming up with excuses as to the yearly large increases. Hurricanes, natural disasters etc.

[littlemissmartypants]

27. Interesting. ...

New information is always good. I definitely drive under 1K miles a year.

I'm curious about your Japanese car. What model is it? I learned to drive on a manual 240Z.

❤️

[OneBlueDotS-Carolina]

36. 1992 Subaru SVX

That my wife purchased new in 1994, as Subaru dealers had problems selling the car. Biggest problem is finding parts.

[littlemissmartypants]

37. Wow! Does it have a spoiler? It's a nice ride! ❤️

[OneBlueDotS-Carolina]

39. No spoiler, aftermarket wheels...

Seats reupholstered, 2 new stereos, aside from that, completely stock.

[littlemissmartypants]

40. That's great. ❤️

[cloudbase]

2. It's an automatic, so a hard no for me.

[IA8IT]

3. Love them. Looks fine in the pics. I live on a gravel road so I won't ask for a ride.

[littlemissmartypants]

5. Gravel roads are my worst nightmare. ...

Next to dirt full of potholes.



❤️

[Historic NY]

11. You are only 90 miles from Carlisle

This weekends spring event lot of cars for sale, and then there is a car corral at other events. Sunday is the best time later in the day to wheel and deal as many don't want to drive or trailer them home .

https://carlisleevents.com/events/schedule]

[littlemissmartypants]

18. I'm in SE/Cape Fear NC. ...

But I have been to Upstate NY.

The car auction would be fun.

The late Sunday idea is very strategic 😉
and I like it. 👍

❤️

[Historic NY]

41. Oh I saw the vette dealership in PA.

[SheltieLover]

13. No doubt much more solidly built than what they're selling today.

At the least, I'd have a mechanic do a compression test on the engine.

If it's a manual & no grinding, you're good to go!

I've got several cars, but my 1990 Acura is a really special car & runs like a bear!

Enjoy!

[littlemissmartypants]

15. Great feedback. ...

Automatic transmission. I love shifting gears, but Nollie likes to ride on my left shoulder so it makes shifting tricky.

She's almost four pounds now and six months old in a couple of weeks. She's also a fast mover. So, it's best to have a hand on her at all times.





❤️

[SheltieLover]

16. Awwwww, I'll bet she is a sweetie!

Has it been well maintained?

[littlemissmartypants]

20. I love her sooooo much. ...

The maintenance records look good. But you never really know until you drive it yourself and I'm just looking right now.

❤️

[SheltieLover]

33. Do you have a mechanic who will do an inspection?

[littlemissmartypants]

34. Not that far. ❤️

[SheltieLover]

35. Find a corvette forum online & ask about auto trannies & any known problems

At the age of this car, seals un tranny could be bad.

I'm sure there are places ghat will rebuild it, if need be, if you are up for that expense.

[littlemissmartypants]

38. 👍

❤️

[Tadpole Raisin]

17. In my early 20s my boss bought a corvette and in the

late evening when we were finishing a long day and no one was on the road (a main route) he offered to show us (3 young naive people) what it could do.

I ended up in the very rear section. Understand now I was originally facing forward.

He went from o-? in 2 seconds. I didn’t see any of it because I was now plastered into the rear window facing a different direction.

At least if I had been in a military jet or the Apollo lifting off the ground I would have been strapped in, lol!

[littlemissmartypants]

19. Great story, TR!! ...

They are fun.

I owned an EVO VII for a while, bought after my Trans Am was hit four times in one year and got myself in some trouble with the EVO. But I just had to see what it would do and once was enough. It was so worth the effort.

I, however, was solo.

You actually have me laughing out loud! A rare feat & I deeply appreciate it. 🙏

❤️

[Tadpole Raisin]

23. Yup, at that moment Wile E Coyote had nothing on me. SPLAT!

[dweller]

26. It'll look good

with your raspberry beret …



✌🏻

[littlemissmartypants]

28. You're on my wavelength, friend. 👍

❤️

[dweller]

29. ooh Cool , a Van reference 😊

✌🏻

[littlemissmartypants]

31. 👍 Cassette player included. 🎵

I just need information about the speaker system.



❤️

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

30. I own a C8 Z06 and used to own a C7 Z06

Not a huge fan of the C4, but its pretty iconic for the 80s. Mechanically, as long as the engine was maintained regularly, it should run for a long time. Its a classic small block Chevy 350 with Tune Port Injection. Parts are starting to dwindle now due to age, but aftermarket support should still be there. I owned a Trans Am with a 305 TPI engine as my first car and it was pretty simple to work on. Engine wise, the biggest issues I remember were cracked vacuum lines due to age(they are plastic, get brittle with age and heat cycles, and located between the upper and lower intakes.) and leaking fuel injectors.

Other issues you might run into is going to be electrical, mainly the digital dash and the pop up headlights failing. The headlight motors WILL fail. Guaranteed. The gearing in them is made of nylon and age and repeated use cause the gearing to strip. They make replacement brass gears(at least they used too, dunno if they still do now). On the Trans Am's you used to be able to flip the gear around(it only used half the gear, so the other 180' of the gear is fine). Not sure if that's the case for the Corvettes though. Oh and tires might be pricey. They aren't nearly as gigantic as current sports cars, but they aren't small either. Probably 245-255 wide would be my guess.

[littlemissmartypants]

32. Excellent feedback, DLB! ...

I'm impressed. Thanks so much for your reply.

❤️

[Emile]

42. Does the insurance still cost more with a sports car?

[littlemissmartypants]

43. Many factors influence insurance costs. If it does it's only...

One factor in the formula used to calculate the cost.